Australia Weather News

Barron Falls in far north Queensland in full force after heavy rainfall

9 months 6 days ago

Barron Falls is in full force after record rainfall that flooded parts of Queensland's north.

A torrent of water has been seen raging over the iconic falls in Kuranda, near Cairns, compared to just a trickle in December last year.

Drone footage from last month captured the waterfall gushing with unusual force, but the recent rainfall has given it extra strength.

Visitors to the Kuranda National Park shared vision of the spectacular sight which has made its way to media outlets in the US.

Recently, Queensland Rail (QR) requested drone operators seek approval to film the falls, as operators were using the Kuranda Scenic Railway stop as a launchpad.

QR's executive manager of travel and tourist operations, Martin Ryan, said the practice was posing dangers to travellers.

"We've had a couple of instances where once the train had arrived at Barron Falls there were some drones that were being flown in proximity of people and coming back to land on the platform, so our staff rightfully came and spoke to us about that," he said.

Flood clean-up as communities count the cost

Heavy rain has caused major flooding in north Queensland.

At the weekend, Cairns recorded 159 millimetres in just 24 hours.

In Ingham, further south, a clean-up is underway after flooding affected about 90 per cent of homes.

Floodwaters are still lingering in the towns of Halifax and Cordelia.

The damage bill for affected communities between Cairns and Townsville has already blown well into the millions.

Emergency Services Minister Craig Crawford said personal hardship funding would be available to anyone who had suffered financial loss because of the flooding.

ABC

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Weather information based on data supplied by the Bureau of Meteorology and other sources